Unique identifying device for a beverage container

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a unique identifying device that differentiates identical or similar beverage containers. A stirrer from a set of stirrers, each with its own design, is placed inside a beverage glass or cup to enable users to determine which beverage among many in use is theirs. In the case of cans, bottles, boxes, or pouches, a unique band from a set of bands, each with its own design, is placed around the outside of the container to enable users to distinguish their beverage from others that are in the same type of container. The preferred composition of the stirrer is plastic, and the preferred composition of the band is a stretchable material. The invention has the advantage of being quick and easy to use, and is inexpensive enough to be disposable. It is an object of the invention to identify individual beverage containers using a unique identifying device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of the identification of individualbeverage containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the differentiating of beveragecontainers in order to differentiate users' drinks. Many socialsituations involve the serving of beverages in glasses, cups, bottles,cans, boxes or pouches. Typically the glasses, bottles, cans, boxes orpouches in a set will be of the same pattern, making it difficult fordifferent users to determine which drink is theirs once the containersare set down.

This can lead to negative consequences, for instance, the spread ofdisease when someone drinks from the container that a sick person hasbeen using. Another negative consequence can be an allergic reaction ina person who unwittingly consumes a drink containing a substance towhich they're allergic. In a setting where people are gathered andalcohol is served, some patrons may argue or physically fight over aperceived theft of their drink. In an event with children involved, notonly are there typically many germs to be spread, but children may getvery angry and act inappropriately if another child takes their drink.Additionally, many people are just queasy about sharing germs withanyone. There are attempts to remedy this situation in the prior art,which are listed below.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,622 teaches a name identifying drink mixer,comprising an elongated flush member, its ends having broadening baseand top portions, contoured to form decorative matching objects, thebase portion functioning as a mixing implement, while the top portionthereof extends right angularly rearward into a platelet for imprintingof a name thereon and terminates downwardly therefrom in two legs,disposed spatially apart, for attachment to the rim of a drinking glass.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,444 teaches a stirring implement designed for use instirring beverages such as coffee or tea, and has an elongated shaftconnected to a thin flat blade which has parallel side walls connectedby radiused corners to a straight bottom edge. The straight bottom edgeaffords maximum engagement with the bottom surface of a beveragecontainer for maximum stirring efficiency. A hook member may be providedwith intermediate end portions of the shaft for engagement with a topside wall edge of a beverage container. The stirring blade may beprovided with a serrated cutting edge for utility food uses and with ascraping blade for spreading condiments such as jellies or butter uponpastry items.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,664 teaches a beverage stirrer having a pop out itemsuch as figurine, logo or product replica. The stirrer includes ahollow, tubular casing with a sliding mechanism formed therein. Thesliding mechanism can comprise a buoyant member actuated by fluidpressure from a beverage being stirred. Alternately, the slidingmechanism can comprise a temperature sensitive spring actuated by atemperature differential created by the beverage. The pop out item canbe mounted to an end of the sliding mechanism and can be configured toextend out of an open end of the casing as the beverage is stirred. Thestirrer can also include a handle/display member wherein indicia such asadvertising or a logo can be printed.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,832 teaches a stirrer that includes a rod forstirring a drink, a head secured onto the rod, a battery received in thehead and having two electrodes. A light device has two prongs forcoupling to the electrodes of the battery. One of the prongs may beselectively coupled to the battery and for selectively energizing thelight device. The light emitted by the light device may be seen throughthe rod or the head. The head includes two casings secured together forretaining the battery or the light device within the head. The lightdevice may be selectively actuated or energized by a switch.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,377 teaches a disposable beverage stirrer forcoffee, tea, soups and the like comprising a flat elongate wooden orcomposite stick having thermoplastic material imbedded therein fordetecting the temperature of a beverage so that the user can be madeaware whether or not the beverage or substance in question is suitableto consume without causing the burning or scalding of an individual'smouth. The thermoreactive material is not readily visible when at roomtemperature because it is inactive. However, it reacts to and isactivated by the temperature of the beverage when inserted therein. Twomessages are imbedded thereon, one to notify that the beverage is safeto drink and another informing the user that a high risk of scaldingexists.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,712 teaches a multi-color luminous stirrer includinga handle housing therein a battery and a shank composed of twotubular-shaped electrodes coupled together mechanically through aninsulating ring. When the tubular-shaped electrodes are submerged in adrink, a switching circuit is actuated and in accordance with themovement of an electroconductive ball placed freely on a flat electrodethat is connected to the battery and encircled by curved electrodeswhich are electrically connected to a plurality of illuminants housed atthe tip of the shank by transparent or translucent cap, ON and OFFstates are created between the electrodes. Thus, the illuminants emitlight at random. The tubular-shaped shank may alternately be formed of ahighly heat conductive material, with a bimetal housed therein so thatwhen the tubular-shaped shank is dipped in a drink which is different intemperature from that of the ambient air, the switching circuit isactuated.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,973 teaches that an antifoaming agent is depositedon a stirring or straw element to be placed in a beverage receptacle.The disposition of this material on the element speeds up the pouringprocess and is useful in high volume environments, such as airliners,convenience stores, and college bars. The preferred material for theantifoam coating is Dow Corning® Antifoam FG-10, which is a ten percentactive, food grade silicone emulsion.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,761,819 teaches a combination chip counter and swizzlestick apparatus for enabling a player in a casino environment to quicklymeasure the monetary value of stacked gambling chips and to mixbeverages, comprising an axially elongated member having at least onegraduated surface extending along the axial elongation thereof, theelongated member being sized and arranged for mixing beverages, the atleast one graduated surface containing indicia identifying a progressivemonetary amount proportional to the height of a stack of gambling chipswhen said apparatus is placed next to the stack to enable the player toread the value from the surface of the elongated member, the apparatusfurther including color coded surfaces corresponding to the colors ofchips of different denominations to enable the player to quickly selectthe proper graduated surface for the chips to be counted.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,391 teaches a drink stirring device for providing adecorative and entertaining conversation piece. The drink stirringdevice includes a swizzle stick member being essentially hollow andhaving an upper portion and an elongate lower portion; and also includesa light-emitting member securely and removably disposed within theswizzle stick member; and further includes a power source assembly forenergizing the light-emitting member.

U.S. Patent App. No. 20050249031 teaches a color-coded flavored stirrerused to add condiments to and to stir a beverage. The color-codedstirrer has a hollow, cylindrical and elongated body with a proximal endand a distal end, the distal end of the hollow, cylindrical andelongated body being sealed closed, to hold the condiments within thehollow, cylindrical and elongated body. There is also a removable tipprovided at the proximal end of the hollow, cylindrical and elongatedbody to allow for dispensing the condiments from the proximal end of thehollow, cylindrical and elongated body. The hollow, cylindrical andelongated body can be a specific color indicating the condiments beingheld within the hollow, cylindrical and elongated body.

U.S. Patent App. No. 20040062139 teaches a soluble stir stick composedof an edible material that is soluble in a beverage. The soluble stirstick is especially useful with hot beverages such as coffee or tea. Theconsumer stirs their hot beverage with the soluble stir stick and thesoluble stir stick dissolves into the beverage, resulting in no waste.The soluble stir stick can be a solid stick made from one main solublematerial. The soluble stir stick can be flavored or unflavored. Forexample, such flavorings could be chocolate or vanilla. The main solublematerial of the soluble stir stick can also encapsulate columns ofadditives for the beverage.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,524 teaches a safety blanket for a baby bottleformed from two very thin flat layers of a liquid impervious material.The two layers of material are sealed around the periphery with thecentral body portion not attached so as to form a dead air space therebetween. The two layers are in the general shape of a rectangle with theshorter surface sufficiently sized to reach from top bottom of thebottle height, and the longer dimension sufficient to surround thecircumference of the bottle reservoir. A fastening method for attachingthe safety blanket around the bottle is provided as is an envelopeassociated with the fastening method for inserting a substrate withindica thereon.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,632 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,361 teach a personalidentification method and system for improving personal hygiene in whichprovision is made for identifying a beverage, food product, or the like,with a particular person so that another person does not inadvertentlyaccess the identified item unintentionally. Identifying indicia such asnumbers or alphabetical letters are selectable and conditioned by theuser to be prominently displayed on the item so as to identify it withthe individual involved. For necked beverage containers, in oneembodiment, a re-usable snap-on display device, or assembly, isconfigured to snap onto the neck of the container; in anotherembodiment, the existing conventional cap-attaching ring is modified toinclude alpha-numeric indicia and/or to receive a cooperatingindicia-indicating display element. For beverage cans, a wand-likeelement portraying selectable alpha-numeric indicia is attached to theconventional snap ring opener; and for boxed beverages, a plurality ofselectable identifying apertures are provided so that the user canpersonally distinguish his or her beverage from those of others.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,361 teaches a personal identification method andsystem for improving personal hygiene in which provision is made foridentifying a beverage, food product, or the like, with a particularperson so that another person does not inadvertently access theidentified item unintentionally. Identifying indicia such as numbers oralphabetical letters are selectable and conditioned by the user to beprominently displayed on the item so as to identify it with theindividual involved. For necked beverage containers, in one embodiment,a re-usable snap-on display device, or assembly, is configured to snaponto the neck of the container, in another embodiment, the existingconventional cap-attaching ring is modified to include alpha-numericindicia and/or to receive a cooperating indicia-indicating displayelement. For beverage cans, a wand-like element portraying selectablealpha-numeric indicia is attached to the conventional snap ring opener;and for boxed beverages, a plurality of selectable identifying aperturesare provided so that the user can personally distinguish his or herbeverage from those of others.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,795 teaches an identification system thatdistinguishes among a set of individual containers. The identificationsystem has an identifier member associated with each of the containersin the set for facilitating visual discrimination of each of thecontainers from the others of the set. The identifier member of eachcontainer in the set has distinct and visibly different printedidentifying indicia positioned over a surface portion of the container,and an opaque covering material covering the printed identifyingindicia. The opaque covering material is removable to selectively exposea preselected one of the printed identifying indicia so that duringconsumption of the contents of the container a user may readilydistinguish his container from the other containers in the set by visualinspection of the exposed printed identifying indicia.

U.S. Patent App. No. 2007/0068944 teaches a method of personalizing abeverage bottle which comprises providing a bottle assembly with a sidewall having an exterior surface. An array of selectable sleeve wraps areprovided, each configured to fit on the side wall of the bottleassembly. Each sleeve wrap has at least one characteristic that isvisibly different from the other sleeve wraps of the array. One of thesleeve wraps is selected from the array and attached on the side wall ofthe bottle assembly.

U.S. Patent App. No. 2005/0223642 teaches a sleeve comprising a lowerportion preferably having a base portion and a skirt portion forpackaging a floral grouping or plant. The sleeve may have an upperportion which can be detached from the lower portion of the sleeve oncethe function of the upper portion has been completed. The sleeve has aplurality of horizontally and diagonally positioned expansion elements.

U.S. Patent App. No. 2006/0186129 teaches a storable,reusable-insulating sleeve for a beverage container that providesinsulation to the user from hot or cold beverages. The improved sleevemaintains insulation of hot temperatures approximately five and tendegrees higher for a thirty-minute interval, than, for example,cardboard counterpart sleeves. The improved sleeve comprises an integralstorage-securing mechanism for storing the sleeve in a compact form. Thecompact form can easily fit into a pocket, purse, car glove compartmentor desk drawer. The sleeve is made of various fabrics and is thereforereusable. Further, a pocket contained in the sleeve will accommodate aprepaid card or a key, for storage, transport and gift giving.

U.S. Patent App. No. 2006/0207132 teaches a system for identifying aspecific beverage container among a group of beverage containers. Thesystem can include an elastic band sized for elastically engaging anouter surface of an individual beverage container, and a tag secured tothe elastic band. The tag can be removably secured to the elastic bandby a clip. The tag can include at least one surface for displayingidentifying indicia thereon in such a way as to permit the identifyingindicia to be repeatedly changed or altered by a user.

U.S. Patent App. No. 2004/0195254 teaches a flexible composite band toidentify an individual drinking container with at least two layers ofmaterial and method of manufacture and use are disclosed. The firstlayer is a flexible layer generally constructed from elastic. The secondlayer is a decorative layer that can be customized to suit one's tastesand is attached directly to the elastic layer. Once this compositeflexible identification band is formed it can be placed around drinkingcontainers of various sizes and shapes and allow for easy identificationof a drinking container due to the unique decorative layer.

The present invention has advantages that the prior art lacks. In thecase of the stirrer, the present invention is much simpler in design andtherefore less expensive to manufacture than other art cited, making itmore readily disposable. In addition, much of the prior art focuses onother uses for the stirrer than the primary use in the presentinvention, which is to differentiate drinks. In the case of the band,again, the prior art cites inventions which are more difficult to makeand subsequently increasing the cost to the consumer. In the case ofpatent 2004/0195254, for instance, the band has multiple layers whichmust be fused together, making the process more expensive than thepresent invention, which discloses one integral layer for bandmanufacture. In addition, some inventions cited have uses other thandrink differentiation.

One possible solution outside of the present invention and prior artwould be to write on the outside of the beverage containers, but this isnot generally feasible. In the case of a cocktail party a hostess wouldnot want her glasses defaced, nor would the bar or club owner in theirestablishment. In the case of disposable containers, many beverage cansand pouches are made from metal or foil, which is difficult to write on.Plastic bottles may weep and erase writing or be difficult to write oninitially, and their labels are difficult to write on either because ofthe material from which they are made or because they are so covered incolor and writing that it is difficult to find a place where the writingwill show. Glass bottles are difficult to write on as well, andindividual beverage boxes are coated with a wax. Finding a writingutensil that may work on any of these surfaces is not always possible,and may not be desirable if young children can access it and write onother surfaces, such as sofas or walls. Writing utensils also are easilymisplaced at a party and may be difficult to find, especially in asocial situation.

The present invention is quick, easy to use, and relatively inexpensive.It can also add to the festivity of a party in a number of ways, a fewof which are listed here. Upon arriving at an event where the device isavailable, attendees could pick a pattern of their choice, or patternscould be tailored to their professions or other attributes and presentedto them at the party. The device could also be identified with a photothat has some meaning to an attendee. The invention could bepersonalized, so that each person at an event would feel welcomed byfinding devices with their name or other meaningful identifier. Theinvention could contain a joke, so strangers at a gathering could use itas an icebreaker when wishing to speak to someone. A company desiring tohost an event and promote its services could use the invention toadvertise in a subtle manner. The invention could be used in a game,such that the person with the device containing a certain pattern wins aprize.

The present invention has uses in many different types of socialsituations. One venue in which the invention is particularly useful isat cocktail parties, where people are drinking alcoholic beverages (manytimes out of glasses) and may need a reminder which drink is theirs,especially if they set it down next to other drinks. Another situationthat would benefit from the invention is a crowded bar or club, wherepeople may put their glasses down in order to dance or mingle, and wouldnot want to pick up the wrong glass.

Another venue that would profit from the current invention would be anygathering of children, particularly a play group or birthday party.Children forget about their drinks in the excitement of play, then wantthem again when they get thirsty. The invention would help hosts or caregivers determine which drink belongs to which child. Caregivers at adaycare could easily identify a child's bottle, sippy cup or beverage bythe band including having the child's name or identifying insignia onthe band. School children could easily identify their own bottle ofwater or beverage by using the band.

Other venues include sporting events and practices, where the athletesare repeatedly setting down and retrieving their drinks. This isparticularly true for younger players in community or school leagues whohave to supply their own drinks and often do so in disposable beveragecontainers. People exercising at a gym could easily identify their ownbottle of water or beverage by having placed their preferred band ontheir beverage. Children participating in sports or recreation such asbaseball, karate or ballet could easily identify their own beverage.

A family who buys beverages and has members who don't finish an entiredrink could benefit as well, by using the device to label the beverageto save for later use. This would save money and shopping trips. Thefamily could also use the device when going on trips, to keep drinksfrom being confused in the car or on the train or plane, and to try toavoid arguments during the trip.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a uniqueidentifying device capable of identifying a user's beverage container.

The invention solves the problem of users' being unable to distinguishtheir beverage from other users' beverages in a situation where morethan one person is or has been present, or where opened beverages arestored for later use. The invention consists of unique stirrers for usein glasses, cups, cans, bottles or other beverage containers, and uniquebands for use on the outside of glasses, cups, cans, bottles, boxes,cartons or other beverage containers. The uniqueness of the stirrers andbands is obtained either by manufacturing them with different patternsor writing, including one of each unique pattern or writing per set ofdevices sold to the consumer, or making them in a set of varying colors,including one of each unique color per set of devices. While thestirrers can be made from any suitable material, it is preferred toconstruct them from plastic. While the bands can be made from anymaterial, it is preferred to construct them from stretchable materialand to manufacture them inexpensively enough that they can bedisposable.

It is an object of the invention to differentiate otherwise identical orsimilar beverage containers.

It is an object of the invention to promote better health by aiding theprevention of the spreading of germs and diseases through inadvertentlyshared beverages.

It is an object of the invention to provide an easy, quick, andinexpensive method of differentiating beverage containers.

It is an object of the invention to add a festive atmosphere to a socialsituation by providing designs for beverage containers.

It is an object of the invention to be able to personalize and/oraccessorize beverage containers.

It is an object of the invention to promote sponsorship and advertisingby allowing the placement of a logo, advertisement, photo or otherpromotional item on a band on the outside of a beverage container or ona stirrer to be used in a beverage container.

It is an object of the invention to allow later identification afterstorage of partially consumed beverages in their original containers.

It is an object of the invention to help a parent or caregiverdifferentiate their child's juice or beverage box, pouch, bottle orsippy cup from those of other children in any setting where children aregrouped together, such as a party, play group or daycare.

It is an object of the invention to avoid quarrels over ownership of abeverage, particularly in situations with children, or with adults whohave been consuming alcohol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,showing a unique band on a beverage bottle.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,showing a set of unique stirrers for use in beverage containers.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,showing a set of unique stirrers, each with its own design on thestirrer head.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,showing unique bands, each with its own design.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings. Identical elements in thevarious figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

The invention includes identifiers for both re-usable containers such asglasses and cups, and disposable containers such as bottles, cans,cartons, boxes and pouches. Containers are differentiated with anidentifying component that is added to the container at the time of useand, in the case of disposable containers, may be disposed of with thecontainer. The identifying component can be retained or disposed of whenused with re-usable containers, depending on the user's desire. Morespecifically, multiple uniquely designed stirrers are employed fordifferentiating between multiple non-disposable containers, and multipleuniquely designed bands are used for differentiating between multipledisposable containers.

The embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-4 employ a device which is an additionto a beverage container and that allows for differentiation ofcontainers which otherwise would be identical to each other. FIGS. 1 and4 demonstrate how the invention can be applied to beverage containerssuch as bottles, cans, boxes or pouches. FIGS. 2 and 3 demonstrate howthe invention can be applied to beverage containers such as glasses orcups. The device is shown as a band in FIGS. 1 and 4, and as a stirrerin FIGS. 2 and 3. Both configurations of the device serve the samepurpose, which is to differentiate otherwise identical beveragecontainers.

The band may be any width or length, with a preferred width of 1 inchand a preferred length of 7 inches, and may wrap around the bottle anynumber of times or any fraction of one time. It is preferred to beconstructed to slip over the bottle as one continuous loop or to bewrapped around and fastened to itself or to the bottle by an adhesive orother closure method. It may also be of any geometrical shape, includinga rectangular strip as shown, rectangular with the top or bottom or bothedges serrated, or any geometric shape including but not limited to atriangle, star, square, polygon, circle or combination thereof,including multiple repeats of shapes. The band may be disposable orre-useable.

The placement of designs, wherein the term “designs” means patterns,photos, personalizations, logos, jokes, or any writing, on the band mayemploy, but is not limited to, the following methods: having designsprinted on the band, having bands made with the designs as an integralpart of the manufacture process, hand-drawing designs on the band,having the designs cut out of the band by die-cutting or other cuttingmethods, or having design stickers placed on the band. The designs maybe placed on any fraction of the band or on the entire band. In apreferred embodiment, the designs may be placed on the outside of theband. Also, designs may be placed on the inside of the band, eitheralternatively or in conjunction with designs on the outside of the band.For instance, in the case of a joke or trivia question, the question maybe printed on the outside of the band and the answer on the inside ofthe band.

The band is preferably stretchable material, such as the elastanelycra®, but may be made of any suitable material, including but notlimited to elastic, paper, plastic, spandex, elastane, rubber, vinyl,cellophane, cloth, animal skin, cardstock, cardboard, wood, metal, wax,foil, or food.

The bands may be differentiated from each other by using differentpatterns, logos, photos, jokes, personalizations or writings in a set ofbands, or by using different colors for otherwise identical bands in aset. Especially preferred are designs promoting or advertising productsor companies.

One additional use for the invention could be to incorporate it into themanufacture of bottles or cans, to label them as well as or in additionto any other distinct identifying marks on the bottle, can, beveragecontainer, label, cap, or opening tab to be able to distinguish any itemor items from another item of the same type. This could be done bymaking the manufacturer's label different colors for bottles or cans ofthe same beverage bought in a case. For instance, a soft drinkmanufacturer could make a case of 24 water bottles which would beidentical except for the colors of the labels. For example, four bottlescould have a green manufacturer's label, four bottles could have a redmanufacturer's label, four bottles could have a yellow manufacturer'slabel, four bottles could have a blue manufacturer's label, four bottlescould have an orange manufacturer's label, and four bottles could have apink manufacturer's label.

The stirrer contains two parts, the head and the body. The head and bodyboth may be any of length, width or thickness, with a preferred lengthof 7 inches, a preferred shaft thickness of 3/16 inch, a head diameterof 1 inch, and a head thickness of 1/16 inch. The stirrer head may be ofany geometric shape, including but not limited to a circle, square,triangle, star, or polygon. Other possible shapes include but are notlimited to animals, body parts such as a hand, various foods, vehicles,household items, or any other shape desired. The stirrer head can be ofany thickness to favor either a two dimensional appearance such as asquare, or a three dimensional appearance such as a cube. The stirrerbody may be any configuration, including but not limited to arectangular stick, a whisk, a serrated blade, any geometric shape orseries of geometric shapes joined together.

The stirrer may be of any color, with different colors differentiatingstirrers in a set. The stirrer may also be manufactured to containdifferent colored stems inside the body or head, or even to containdifferent colored liquids inside the stirrer body or head.

The stirrers in a set may also be differentiated from each other byemploying different designs on the head, the body, or both parts of thestirrer. Designs, wherein the term “designs” means patterns, photos,personalizations, logos, jokes, or any writing, can be on the outside orthe inside of the stirrer, or distributed throughout any part or partsof the stirrer or the entire stirrer. Especially preferred arecommercial designs or advertising. Patterns are shown on the face of thestirrer heads in FIGS. 2 and 3 for illustrative purposes, but can beanywhere on the stirrer head, body, or can be on both head and bodytogether or any portions thereof. The designs may be placed on thestirrer by any of the following methods, including but not limited tobeing printed on the stirrer, engineered as outlines or engravings inthe stirrer, or cut from the stirrer. The designs may also be hand-drawnon the stirrer, or placed on the stirrer using stickers. The designs maybe manufactured separately and placed inside and/or on the outside ofthe stirrer during production. The designs may be any color. Writing mayalso be used, either individually or in conjunction with a pattern, andmay be an integral part of the stirrer or may be added later, such as byuse of a sticker or other device. The writing may include but not belimited to a name, phrase, joke, logo, or any desired word or words.

The stirrer may be manufactured from a variety of materials, includingbut not limited to plastic, food, metal, wood, glass, rubber, wax,ceramic, a composite material, or any combination of materials. It maybe disposable or re-useable.

FIG. 1 illustrates the first embodiment of the invention, the uniqueidentifying device that is a band 100 on a beverage bottle 105. FIG. 1shows a band that has a logo 120 which can be customized to allowdifferentiation of multiple bottles or used to advertise or promote aproduct or service. The band has a top edge 130, a bottom edge 140, andan outside surface 150. The band has a portion 170 engineered to receivewriting, printing or an adhesive, including but not limited to apattern, logo, photo, joke, or any kind of personalization or adhesivesticker. The portion 170 can encompass the entire band or any part orparts of the band. A set of bands may contain the same writing orprinting but be differentiated by band color.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the invention, the uniqueidentifying device that is comprised of a set of stirrers 200. In thisembodiment, the differentiation of the stirrers may be achieved bymaking each a different color. FIG. 2 shows the stirrer head 210, thestirrer body 220, the stirrer set 230, and a pattern on the stirrer 240.The color may be distributed throughout the entire stirrer, may be onthe outside or inside of the stirrer, or may be on any portion orportions of the stirrer.

FIG. 3 shows a unique set of stirrers 200. In this embodiment, thestirrers are differentiated by using different patterns on them. FIG. 3shows the stirrer head 210, the stirrer body 220, the stirrer set 230,and the identifying pattern on the stirrer 240. The patterns on thestirrer in FIG. 3 include a stirrer head heart pattern 250, a stirrerhead triangle pattern 260, a stirrer head house pattern 270, and astirrer head zigzag pattern 280.

FIG. 4 illustrates a unique identifying device that is a set of bands100, each with a different pattern. One band has a line pattern 112, onehas a geometric shapes pattern 114, and one has a heart pattern 116. Thebands have a top edge 130, a bottom edge 140, an outside surface 150, aninside surface 160, a portion capable of receiving writing, printing, oran adhesive, such as a pattern, logo, photo, joke, personalization oradhesive sticker 170, band end one 180, and band end two 190. The bandends may be overlapped any number of times and adhered to each other, orthe band ends may be adhered to the container directly. The entire bandmay also be adhered to the beverage container directly.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure hasbeen made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

1. An article of manufacture, comprising: a unique identifying devicecapable of identifying a user's beverage container.
 2. The article ofclaim1, wherein the unique identifying device is a unique stirrer. 3.The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stir is selected from a setcomprising at least two stirrers.
 4. The article of claim 3, whereineach stirrer in the set of at least two stirrers is a different color.5. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirrer has anadvertisement.
 6. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirrer ismade from plastic, wood, glass, ceramic, metal, food or a compositematerial.
 7. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirrer has aphoto.
 8. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirrer ispersonalized.
 9. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirrer hasa logo or a joke.
 10. The article of claim 2, wherein the unique stirreris disposable.
 11. The article of claim 1, wherein the uniqueidentifying device is a band.
 12. The article of claim 11, wherein theunique band is selected from a set comprising at least two bands. 13.The article of claim 12, wherein each band in the set of at least twobands is a different color.
 14. The article of claim 12, wherein theunique band has an advertisement.
 15. The article of claim 11, whereinthe unique band is made from elastic, paper, plastic, lycra, spandex,vinyl, elastane, rubber or cellophane.
 16. The article of claim 15,wherein the unique band has first and second ends and the ends arefastened together.
 17. The article of claim 15, wherein the band is acontinuous loop.
 18. The article of claim 11, wherein the unique bandhas a photo.
 19. The article of claim 11, wherein the unique band ispersonalized.
 20. The article of claim 11, wherein the unique band has alogo or a joke.
 21. The article of claim 11, wherein the unique band isdisposable.
 22. The article of claim 1, wherein the beverage containeris a bottle, can, glass, cup, box, or pouch.
 23. The article of claim 2,wherein the unique stirrer has a pattern.
 24. The article of claim 11,wherein the unique band has a pattern.